bliss



D M. BUSS.

ALTERNATINS CURRENT RECTiFiHL APPLICATION HLED Ann. ms.

1 ,1 94%70. Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

f/iiizafiwx NTTE SATES PATENT OFFICE.

DONALD Id. BLISS oF NEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T THOMAS A. EDISOI T, i INCOEJIORATED, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEVJ ALTERNATINGCURRENT RECTIFIER Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1-5, 1916.

Application filed April 28, 1911. Serial No. 623,845.

To all whomit may concern:

'13s it known that I; DONALD M. Brass, a f'sii'bject of the King of Great Britain; and a resident of West-Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improveine nts in AlternatingCurrent Rectifiers, of

which the following is a specification.

:My invention relates generally to recti- 6' fiers of thecommutator type, that is to say, "rectifier-s in which the rectification of the alternating current is accomplished by pro ducing relative movement between. conductf ing segments and contact devices or brushes 1'5 in-synchronism with the'current to be recti- .fie d in such a manner that impulses of current from the alternating current circuit are conducted unidirectionally into a direct currentwork or consumption circuit. Apgo' paratus, of this class may be so arranged as to utilize both half waves or only alternate half waves 01 the alternating current, and

my invention is applicable to either arrangefrh'ent-"of apparatus. -VV'hen such apparatus 'g'i-is used to supply a consumption circuit hav- Iing' a counter or opposing electromotiye fo rceyit is desirable to utilize only a portion of each half wave orof each alternate half ""wave in order that there may be no reversal in' direction oif'currentpfiow through the di- 'rect current consumption circuit. The ententof the portion of the half wave which itis desirable to utilize depends on the relative value of the counter electromotive force '35 and the maximum electromotive force of the alternating current wave, and decreases as "the counter e'lectromotive force increases.

Theobject of my invention is to provide siniplc and efiiciont means in a rectifier of the-commutatm' type for utilizing all or any 1 desired portion of each half wave or of each alternate half Wave.

\ My improved rectifier is particularly adapted for supplying unidirectional current to' consumption circuit having a 7 counter electromotive force, as for example,

"in charging storage batteries.

f In order that my invention may be more clearly understood, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, and in which:

l igure 1 is aview, partly diagrammatic,

, of a rectifier embodying my invention and showing the alternating current mains L O gether with a storagebattery and connections; Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthe rectifier together with the motor for driving it; and Fig. 3 is a vertical elevation partly in scotion, of the rectifier.

, In the several viewsof the drawings like reference characters refer to vlike parts.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown one embodiment of my improved rectifier connected across the alternating current mains 1 and 2, which are supplied with alternating current from-any suitable source. The rectifier is shown connected in series with the storage battery 3 and an adjustable reactance 4. The circuit containing the storage battery 3 is typical of any direct current consumption circuit having an opposing or counter electromotive force. The rectifier comprises a rotatable switch or commutator havingconducting segments 5 and 6 connected by a conducting member 7, and portions 8 and 9 of insulatingmaterial or of conducting material insulated from each other and from the conducting segments 5 and 6 and the conducting connection 7 The rotatable switch or commutator is fixedly secured to a shaft 10 which is mounted for. rotation in suitable bearings contained in or supported by the brackets or supports 12 and 13. The conducting segments 5 and 6 and the connection 7 are insulated from the shaft 10 in any suitable manner. The portions 8 and 9 if made of conducting ma-' terial are also insulated from the shaftlO. At 14 is shown a synchronous motoror any other suitable means for rotating the rotatable switch or commutator in synchronism with the alternating current which is to be rectified. The synchronous motor may be connected across the alternating current mains 1 and 2. The motor 14 is'shown mechanically connected to the shaft 10 by .any suitable connection or clutch 11.

Sets of brushes 15, 16, and 17, 18'are provided for cooperation with the conduct- I ing segments 5 and The brushes 15 and 10 16 are connected in parallel in the circuit by the conductors 15;- 'and 16 and the brushes 17 and 18 are confiected in parallel in the circuit by the conductors 17' and 18'. The brushe s'15 and '17r are mounted 'upon opposite ends of the rocker arm 19, and the brushes 16 and 18 are mounted upon opposite ends of the rocker arm 20. lt is to be noted, therefore, that one brush of each set is mounted ,upon opposite ends, of each .-in brush holders23, 24, 25, and 26 rocker "arm. The rocker arm 19 is adjustably mounted upon 'an extension'2l of the journal-bearing 13', and the rocker arm is mounted upon a similar extension of the 6 journal-bearing 12 The journal bearings l3 and 12' are supported by the bearing supportsl3 and 12 respectively, and are secured to the same in any-suitable manner, as ,for" example, by the clamps l3 and 12 The rocker arms are angularly adjus table about the axis of the shaft 10, and nuts 22 are threaded upon. the extensions of the journal-bearings, in order'to provide means sition. The brushes 15, 16, '17 and 18 are preferably spring pressed and are carried respectively.-' The brush holders 23 and are I supported from the rocker arm 19 by means 20" of the rods 27 and 29. These rods are insulated from the rocker arm' 19 and are pro vided with nuts 31 and 33 for connection with conducting wires or cables. Similarly, the brush supports 24 and 26 are supported from the rocker arm 20 by means of the rods 28 and 30 which are insulated from the rocker arm 20 and are provided with nuts 32' and 34; for connection with conducting wiresor cables.

The mode .of operation of the rectifier whichfI haveillustrated and described is as follows:" The rotary switch or commutator is rotated in synchronism with the current to be rectified m such a manner that a positive impulse ..from the alternating current circuit during one half wave or portion v thereof is conducted from the main 2110 the main 1- by the following circuit, namely: reactance' i, one or both of the conductors 15 and 16', one or both of brushes 15- and p 16, the conducting segment 5, the conducting connection 7, the'conducting segment 6, one

or both of brushes 17 and 18 one or both' of the conductors 17 and 18 the battery 3, or in-the reverse direction as thebattery or othertranslation device in'the direct ourrent consumption circuit may require. At

or before the reversalof direction of current flow in the alternating current'circuit,

the circuit which I have traced is broken by the brushes moving out of contact with the conductin segments, but this circuit is reestablished at or after the next reversal of current in the alternating current circuit.

one complete revolution for each two com-. plete waves-or alternations of the alternat;

mg current, In the apparatus. whichI have} T illustrated as one embodiment of my inven- 0 tion,- only alternate "half waves ofalternat I ing current are utilized, but my invention is equally a plicablexto rectifier-s or rectifier systems or utilizing both half waves of alternating current- I u The conducting segments 5 and G are for securing the rocker arms in adjusted poequal to that between-a single j commutator segment whose len h in- The rotatable switch or commutator makes equal in length, and of a length correspond-.' ing to the minimum portion of the ha wave of the alternating .current which is d}; beutilized under any circumstances. :In order that the duration of contact between the conducting segments and the brushes shall be a minimum, the rocker arms are so adjusted that the are parallel with each other, or so that the brushes of any one set are in 5 alinement with .each other a direction parallel to the of tlie' commutator, thereby securing a minimum effective brush width.

In order to increase the extent ofthe portion of the half wave of alternating current which is to be utilized, the rocker arms ar adjusted so that their rojections on a plane at right angles to the iaft 10 make ah allglhq' with each-other, or otherwise expressed, so that the, brushes of any one set, forexample, brushes 15 and16 are-spaced apart circumfer'entially around the commutator, In this way the effective brush width is increased and the duration of effective contact be tween a set of brushes and a conducting .segz- 9 ment is increased. The inereaseddurati'on I of effective contact corresponds, to vthe ;dis- 'ta'nce apart of the brushes of a set measured alongthe surface of the commutator ill1' 8,

plane at-right. angles a the shaft when thebrushes are thus placed apart, the dura- 1 tion of effective contact apgroximately rush and a creased by the distance between 0 centersqoo of the spaced apart brushesmeasured circumferentially around the commutator.

It is to be noted that in (the apparatus illustrated the-adjustment of the'brushes 'of a single set effects at the same time the ad: 05 justment of the brushes of the other set.-

In charging storage batteries, the brushes of each set maybe spaced apart as described above a considerable'distance atithebegimning of-the charging o eration because the 1 0 counter electromotiv'e orce of -the' battery is small. The properpo'sition of thebrushes may be determined by setting them so that the rectification is accomplished with little or no sparking. ,As theb rises, the rocker arms should be moved to positions approaching parallelism. The adjustablekreactance' 4 enables the 2 phase relation between-thecharging current p and the motoraburrent-twbe vvar ed-f a's'the 5120 nd of loald and the charging circuit. may.demand,:- Y

It Will evident.

varioils jcha nges in construction and arrangement may be made a i without departing from the-spirit and scope 125 of my invention as defined in thea'ppended claims. For example, the commutator ma be held stationary and the brushes rotate and instead of a cylindrical commutator having conducting surfaces on its periph- 13o attery"*voltage ing a plurality of said brushes including at least one brush of each set, substantially as described.

2. In a rectifying device, a rotatable commutator having a pair of connected and. oppositely disposed conducting segments, rocker arms adjustable around the axis of rotation of the commutator, and two sets of brushes located to cooperate with the conducting segments, the said brushes being supported by the said rocker arms, and the brushes of each set being adjustable relatively to one another, substantially as described.

3. In an alternating current rectifier. a

rotatable commutator having a plurality of conducting segments, a plurality of sets of brushes cooperating therewith, the brushes of each set being electrically connected to gether, and a plurality of the brushes of each set simultaneously contacting with each of said segments successively in each rotation of said commutator, and means where-- by relative adjustment of the brushes of each set may be effected simultaneously to vary the duration of effective contact between each set of brushes and the conducting segments, substantially as described.

4. An alternating current rectifier, comprising a commutator having a pair of connected and oppositely disposed conducting segments and two sets of brushes co6perating therewith, the brushes of each set being relativel adjustable to vary the duration of effectlve contact between each conducting segment and a set of brushes, substantially as described.

This specification signed and witnessed this 27th day of April, 1911.

DONALD M. BLISS.

Witnesses:

HENRY LANAHAN, ANNA KLEHM. 

